Choosing the right water bed for you involves considering a different set of factors than you would use to buy a traditional mattress. However, the purpose of any mattress is to support your body weight evenly and comfortably, so you get a good night’s rest. If you’ve decided a water bed is right for your needs, take a few moments to prepare before you get started to determine what type of water bed you need, whether or not you have the right space for a water bed, and if you have all the necessary equipment to get your new bed set up.

Consider waveless ratings. Probably the most essential aspect of choosing the best water bed for your needs is finding one with the right amount of movement. The wave effect is what sets the water bed apart from a traditional mattress. However, too much movement can be uncomfortable or keep you up at night. The waveless rating indicates how quickly the mattress returns to stability after movement. Most water beds come with a waveless rating between 100 and 85%.

100% waveless mattresses return to stability almost immediately after movement. These typically utilize pockets of air, water, and fiber layers within the mattress to achieve maximum stability.

100-95% waveless mattresses move for a few seconds before calming. These are the most common type of water bed mattress. They make entering and exiting the bed comfortable, and feel very much like a non-water mattress.

90-85% waveless mattresses can move for several seconds each time you shift positions. If you are looking for a water bed that offers a rocking, cradling movement to help you sleep, this range may be ideal.

85% or less waveless mattress are what you would call full-motion water beds. Typically, these are hard sided water beds with one, large water bladder inside them. This is what most people think of when they think of water beds. However, for most people, these mattresses will not likely offer adequate support.

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Determine the best number and ideal thickness of fiber layers. The goal of a water bed is to cradle the body relieving stress on all pressure points. However, some water mattresses are too soft, and they create a hammock effect where the body dips down in the middle and lifts up at the head and feet. Layers of fiber material improve the support and stability offered by water beds and allow you to sleep more comfortably.

The more layers, the greater amount of support and least hammocking effect.

Thicker fiber layers move more slowly creating less wave when you shift positions.

Try out both hard and soft sided water beds. There are two main varieties of water bed, and it’s important that you understand the difference and try out both. Hard sided water beds are the traditional type where a water mattress is held in shape by a specially crafted bed frame. Soft sided water beds are more like traditional mattresses. A foundation and edges are crafted from soft foam, and the water mattress fits into these softer materials.

Hard sided mattresses offer greater motion, but are often large. You’ll need to adjust the rest of your furnishing to match the specially crafted bed frame, and you will also need special bedding to fit the mattress. California bedding sizes are necessary for hard sided water bed mattresses.

Soft sided mattresses are more like traditional mattresses. They can often be placed on your existing bed frame, and they can be covered with traditional bed linens.

Talk to people who own water beds. If you don’t know anyone who is currently using or who has used a water mattress, you can find reviews online. In some cases, water bed owners will even include videos of themselves getting into and out of the bed, and discussing their comfort levels. If you’d like to ask questions, you can try reaching out water bed owners via online question and answer forums like Yahoo! Answers or through the comments sections of various online water bed retailers.

Research water bed retailers in your area. It’s important to tryout any mattress prior to investing in it. However, this becomes even more important when choosing a new water bed, especially if you’ve never had one before. Look for furniture stores that carry water beds or water bed specific suppliers in your area.

Search online for furniture retailers. If water beds aren’t listed, call to ask if they carry them.

Search online for mattress retail locations in your area, and call to see if they carry water beds.

If your local furniture or mattress retailers do not offer water beds, they may be able to direct you to a location where you can test out or purchase a water bed.

You may want to consider ordering a water bed online, but make sure they allow in home trials and returns as you won’t be able to test the mattress in advance.

Visit a water bed retailer. Once you find a location where water beds are sold, you’ll want to go to the water bed store to try out the available types of water beds. Call ahead to make sure the retailer has water beds available for you to try. Even though they sell water beds, the store may not have any on display. However, some locations are willing to set up water beds for you to try.

There are some online and in store retailers who will allow you to test water beds in your home and return them if you are unhappy.

Even if you are able to test a water bed mattress in a store, ask about return policies and at home trials. A mattress that seems comfortable for a few moments in a store may not seem as comfortable after several nights of sleep.

Measure your room and bedframe. Make sure you have plenty of room to place and fill your water bed. This is especially important, if you are purchasing a hard sided water bed that can take up significantly more space than a traditional bed frame. Measure your room and bedframe, and find the best position for your water bed before you place it. In order to move a water bed, you will need to completely drain and refill it, so taking extra time to find the right position in advance is important.

Position the bed close enough to outlets for your thermostat. You want to be careful not to cause serious electrocution concerns, when filling your water bed, but you’ll need to be near enough to an outlet to keep your water bed heater plugged in. The heating element of the mattress should be at the opposite end of the mattress from the fill point for your safety. Without a temperature regulating system, water beds are very cold. It’s important to find and maintain a temperature that is comfortable. The heat also provides additional stress relief for the joints.

Always unplug your water mattress heater prior to opening the fill point of your water bed.

Purchase bedding for your water bed. Soft sided water mattresses can usually be fitted with traditional bed linens, but you should ask the retailer you purchase from about special bedding sizes. Most hard sided water beds need California size bedding.

Clean your water bed. If you want you water mattress to last, it’s important that you care for the vinyl. Overtime, vinyl absorbs skin, oils, fibers, and dust. It can become hard making the water bed less comfortable and increasing the risk for punctures. Vinyl cleaners remove this buildup and keep the material softer. You should change your sheets and clean the vinyl mattress carefully at least once a month.

Treat the water. Like standing water anywhere, the water inside your water mattress can become stagnant. You will need to purchase water treatments and apply them as directed. Typically, water treatments come in the form of a tablet or drops that simply need to be released into the fill spout of your mattress once a month. It’s often easiest to administer these water treatments at the same time you clean your mattress and change your linens. Once a year, you should completely drain and refill the mattress.[1]

Have a repair kit on hand. Even if you are extremely careful with your water bed, leaks still happen. It’s important to have a repair kit on hand at all times to seal any punctures or tears right away. One or two leaks are not necessarily a concern, but if your mattress has numerous punctures or rips, it may be time to replace it.

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Method Four of Four:Factoring in Your Partner when Picking a Water bed

Bring your partner along to try out beds. If you are sharing your bed prior to purchasing a water mattress, make sure to include your bed partner in the purchase process. You both need to be comfortable with the amount of support, movement, and temperature associated with the water bed. Try out mattresses together, and choose one that best meets both of your needs.

Ask your new partner how you can help them adjust to a water bed. If you already own a water bed and are now sharing with a partner, the adjustment process can be more difficult. If you have a full motion mattress, you may need to invest in a mattress with a higher waveless rating when sharing space with others. In some cases, you may also be able to purchase mattress covers or retainers that reduce motion. If temperature is your concern, you can use extra padding to reduce heat for one partner or the other.

Consider dual mattresses. If you and your partner are similar in size and weight, the mattress selection process is less difficult. However, if you and your partner are significantly different heights or weights, the selection may be more complicated as a see-saw effect can occur where the weight of one partner lifts the other during sleep. In these cases, a dual mattress may be your best option. These can be fitted into a hard sided or soft sided frame, but they allow you and your bed partner to specify your own comfort levels. Additionally, your movements will not have a dramatic effect on your partner compared with a single water mattress.[2]

Look into water tubes. Rather than a single or double flat mattress, you can also have a series of connected tubules. This reduces movement overall, and because each tube is separated, your weight and movement have less effect on your partner. These mattresses are typically thinner than other water beds, and while they have higher waveless ratings, they do not offer the same level of support available from traditional water beds with fiber layers. You’re also more likely to touch the bottom of your bed frame.

Tips

Don’t be concerned about the increased weight of a water bed. Although they can be far heavier than conventional beds, the weight is evenly distributed, so unless your flooring is already weak, it should support the weight of a water bed.